ROCK HILL, S.C. - The No. 16 Newberry College women’s tennis team (22-3, 9-3 SAC) had multiple players receive All-South Atlantic Conference Recognition, as announced, by the conference office on Wednesday, highlighted by Zulay Castaneda (Panama City, Panama) being named the South Atlantic Conference Player of the Year.
The aforementioned Castaneda was also named to the All-SAC First Team, and Nastassia Chamoun (Rouen, France) was named to the All-SAC Second Team. Meanwhile, the pairing of Chamoun and Lucy Spice (Maidstone, U.K.) were named to the All-SAC First Team in doubles.
“All of our girls have worked so hard this year, so it’s great to see the hard work paying off,” said Assistant Coach Elias Fernandez.
Castaneda is currently riding an 18-match win streak in singles play with all but one match being played at the top singles position, and she is currently ranked as the No. 15 player in the country according to the latest ITA Rankings. She made her presence known in the fall after being crowned as the Bearcat Challenge Champion, and she never looked back. She boasts a perfect 12-0 record against SAC opponents, including wins over nationally ranked opponents, No. 23 Ciaccia of Wingate and No. 30 Jill Morse of Queens.
“It is a great day to be a Wolf!” said Fernandez. “Zulay being named Player of the Year is a massive accomplishment for both herself and our tennis program.”
“Zulay is an incredibly talented player, and she has had an awesome season this year,” said Head Coach Mark Gardiner.
Chamoun boasts an 18-2 overall singles record in dual matches while going 10-2 against SAC opponents primarily playing the No. 2 singles position. Her best win came when her team needed it the most when she upset then No. 36 Resende of Carson-Newman 5-7 6-0 6-0 to help lead the Wolves to a 4-3 victory over the Eagles.
As a doubles unit, Spice and Chamoun earned an 8-2 record in dual matches at the top doubles position, but they made themselves known early on. The duo were the runners-up at the ITA Southeast Regional, qualifying for the ITA Cup Division II National Doubles Tournament. At the ITA Cup, they earned a 12th place finish against the absolute best that the NCAA Division II had to offer.
“Nastassia and Lucy had an excellent year playing together and have completely earned this award,” said Fernandez. “Without a doubt, they are one of the best doubles teams in the region.”
The Wolves will now turn their attention to the South Atlantic Conference Tournament when they take on the No. 5 seed, Tusculum Pioneers, on Thursday, April 21 at 2 p.m.
